1. The Administrative Assistant: Efficiency vs. Oversight

Athletic trainers are frequently strapped for time, balancing direct patient care with heavy documentation and administrative responsibilities. Dr. Ashlyne Elliott highlights that AI can function as an efficient assistant for creating initial drafts of emails, policy documentation, and routine administrative tasks.

However, AI outputs must always be supervised and verified. Failing to fact-check generated material risks introducing errors into clinical workflows, which can negatively impact patient care or create legal liabilities.“It can help with initial drafts, emails, or drafting policies. But if we’re not fact-checking and double-checking our work, we could get into gray areas that impact patient care negatively or leave us up to legal scrutiny.” — Dr. Ashlyne Elliott

2. Ambient AI Scribes & Clinical Risks

Automated ambient recording tools—designed to listen during clinical encounters and construct SOAP notes automatically—are gaining traction in healthcare environments. While these scribes can streamline documentation for clinicians seeing high patient volumes, uncritical reliance introduces severe risks.

Dr. Elliott referenced a scene from the medical television drama The Pit, where a busy provider relied on an automated scribe without reviewing the transcript. A transcription error regarding patient medications altered the overall plan of care. In real-world healthcare settings, even a small margin of AI error can lead to adverse drug interactions or life-threatening oversight.

3. Data Privacy and Predictive Bias

When evaluating AI applications and athlete management platforms, athletic trainers must scrutinize data handling and model development:

Protected Health Information (PHI): Consumer-facing AI tools and free applications often store submitted data as public training material. Clinicians must review store disclosures and privacy agreements to protect sensitive patient records and maintain HIPAA compliance.

Demographic Representation in Machine Learning: Predictive algorithms are shaped by the data used to train them. An AI model built primarily on data from Division I male collegiate athletes will not yield accurate predictive insights when applied to high school populations.

Dr. Layci Harrison urges clinicians to ask software vendors explicit questions regarding how their predictive models were developed before incorporating recommendations into practice.

4. Demystifying the “Black Box” Theory

Traditional statistical analysis (such as linear regression performed in SPSS) allows researchers to trace and audit every mathematical calculation. In contrast, advanced machine learning operates within a “Black Box”—processing complex variables in ways human reasoning cannot directly inspect.

Dr. Harrison stresses that regardless of how sophisticated an algorithm is, clinicians remain legally and ethically accountable for their treatment decisions.

Clinical Responsibility: If an AI tool recommends an ACL rehabilitation protocol and a patient suffers an injury due to premature loading, citing “the AI generated the plan” does not offer legal protection. Clinicians must be able to independently justify every clinical decision.

5. AI in Education: Cultivating Critical Thinking

Dr. Harrison and Dr. Elliott emphasize that educators must guide students in using technology safely rather than attempting to restrict it. Students already use AI to study, design practice scenarios, and seek immediate feedback.

The priority for educators and preceptors is ensuring students maintain core clinical reasoning skills. While AI can accelerate workflow, clinicians must understand foundational principles to evaluate whether an AI output is accurate and appropriate for patient care.

Role	Contributor
Host	Chase Morales
Audio Engineer	Shelby Gaytan
Equipment Provided By	Russell Sadberry
Recording Support	Bob Marley and the Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute team

Role

Contributor

Host

Chase Morales

Audio Engineer

Shelby Gaytan

Equipment Provided By

Russell Sadberry

Recording Support

Bob Marley and the Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute team

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A Podcast to Promote and Improve Your Practice as an Athletic Trainer

In a recent episode of the Sports Medicine Broadcast, host Chase Morales, along with Ross Little and second-year M.A. student Dorothy Bailey, sat down with Dr. Craig Garrison, Director of Research and Education at the Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute. Dr. Garrison shared critical insights on identifying and correcting faulty throwing mechanics, understanding the biomechanical drivers of modern throwing velocity, and implementing practical strategies to protect overhead athletes across sports.

The Evolution of Velocity and Biomechanics

In today’s sports landscape, throwing velocity serves as the baseline measuring stick for recruitment and advancement. High school baseball pitchers striving for Division I recruitment are now expected to consistently throw in the low-to-mid 90s—a notable contrast to a decade ago when lower velocity ranges were far more common.

This rise in velocity is heavily linked to advancements in biomechanical evaluation and motion analysis technology. By leveraging data-driven insights, clinicians and strength coaches can optimize kinetic sequencing, helping athletes generate explosive power while aiming to mitigate tissue stress.

Kinetic Principles Beyond Baseball

Although baseball pitching dominates discussions around overhead biomechanics, the core mechanical principles extend across multiple disciplines. Dr. Garrison highlighted that track and field throwers—specifically javelin athletes—exhibit nearly identical mechanical principles and injury risk profiles:

Force Generation: Throwers must produce substantial force through their drive limb and transition efficiently onto their stride limb.
Energy Transfer: Force generated from the ground must be transferred sequentially up the kinetic chain into the upper extremity.
High-Stress Breakdown: Flaws in timing or force transfer place extreme stress across the elbow joint, frequently leading to UCL tears, shoulder pathologies, and Tommy John surgeries in both baseball pitchers and javelin throwers.

Balancing Force Production and Kinematic Sequencing

To lower injury risk, clinicians must evaluate both force production and kinematic sequencing. An athlete who produces exceptional lower-body force but lacks proper sequencing will experience high stress on the upper extremity, drastically increasing injury risk.

Mechanical Factor	Primary Function	Clinical & Training Focus
Lower Extremity Power	Force generation from the ground	Squats, jumps, explosive lower-body force production
Kinematic Sequencing	Transferring force up the kinetic chain	Auditory cueing, rhythm drills, metronome synchronization
Workload & Load Management	Controlling cumulative joint fatigue	Tracking pitch counts, training volume, and day-to-day loads

Actionable Strategies for Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists

When designing rehabilitation protocols or performance programs for young overhead throwers, focus should remain on foundational movement rather than isolated arm exercises.

1. Build Power from the Legs

Forces delivered at ball release originate in the lower body. Training should prioritize lower extremity power, squat performance, and jumping mechanics. The upper extremity primarily serves as the vehicle for delivering the force generated by the legs and core.

2. Implement External Auditory Cueing

Because a baseball pitch is delivered in approximately 250 milliseconds, the human brain cannot consciously process complex internal mechanical adjustments mid-throw.

To overcome this, Dr. Garrison advocates for external cueing using simple tools like a metronome:

Match the metronome tempo to the athlete’s desired pitching tempo.
Align the initial beat with stride-foot contact and the subsequent beat with the point of ball release.
Allow the athlete’s central nervous system to self-organize and adjust rhythm naturally through auditory cues, eliminating conscious overthinking.

Managing Athlete Capacity and Gaining Buy-In

Addressing biomechanics effectively also requires managing realistic athlete capacities and behavioral compliance:

Understanding Movement Capacities: Neuromuscular coordination and movement capacity vary significantly. Clinicians and coaches must occasionally lead candid conversations with parents and young athletes regarding individual physical limits and ceiling potential.
Overcoming the Compliance Barrier: Healthy youth athletes often struggle to appreciate subtle mechanical adjustments. Buy-in generally increases following an injury or through proactive coaching and parental reinforcement.

Summary & Guest Information

Addressing throwing mechanics requires a comprehensive approach that prioritizes lower-body force generation, external timing cues, and careful workload management.

Guest: Dr. Craig Garrison (Director of Research and Education, Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute)
Contact Email: Craig.Garrison@memorialhermann.org
Episode Link: sportsmedicinebroadcast.com/faultymechanics

YouTube Presentation: https://youtu.be/FGm5caSDJDg